Why Is There Concern that Cell Phones May Cause Cancer?

Why Is There Concern that Cell Phones May Cause Cancer? (0:43)

Electromagnetic radiation from cell phones has been implicated in causing some kinds of brain tumors in adults, which is concerning. In this video, pediatrician Lisa Thornton, MD, explains these findings and shares an important safety tip.

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Electromagnetic radiation has been implicated in causing some kinds of brain tumors in adults. Now, the information is somewhat inconclusive, but it's concerning, and in children where the brain is developing rapidly, the skull is thinner than in adulthood, their head is smaller, there is even greater concern that electromagnetic rays might be dangerous.

If you look at you device's instruction manual, it will actually tell you to keep the device away from your body and it will give you an amount that's a safe distance. So that amount maybe 1 inch, 2 inches, but nobody talks with their phone 2 inches away from their head.

About Lisa Thornton, MD

Lisa Thornton, MD, is a practicing pediatrician and a frequent television health commentator. She is the Medical Director of Pediatric and Adolescent Rehabilitation for KidsRehab and an assistant professor at the University of Chicago.